Pulwama: Apni Party President Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Wednesday said that August 5, 2019, occurrences have challenged the J&K people to decide whether they will continue pursuing unachievable goals or set a fresh political narrative and attainable goals to ensure a better future.
He was addressing a party convention at Pulwama in south Kashmir, wherein the AP leaders, on their arrival, received a grand welcome by the people and party workers.
According to a press release, Bukhari said that the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A on August 5, 2019, has crumpled down the political narrative of regional political parties in J&K. “These traditional political parties and their leaders had made us believe that they were protectors of these constitutional Articles. But, on August 5, we came to know that they had been misleading us all these years and decades.”
“Post-August 5, 2019, people of Jammu and Kashmir are facing the blunt question that whether they should continue pursuing the emotional political narratives of the traditional parties or set a renewed political narrative which will enable them to protect their political and economic rights in the changed scenario,” he said.
He asked people to introspect to understand the emotional politics and setting unattainable goals that have brought only miseries and deaths to them. He said, “For years and decades, the politics of traditional political parties remained dominant by the deceptive narratives around plebiscite, autonomy, self-rule, Azadi, and so on. We have seen thousands of our youngsters dying pursuing these unachievable goals. Now, we have to decide whether we let the killing spree continue or put a stop to it, for a better future.”
He opined, “I would say that we must protect our young generation from further misery and deaths; strive for a better future and attainable goals in a peaceful manner. As a society, we cannot afford to continue the deaths and destruction on this land for an endless time.
Syed Altaf Bukhari said that political and economic rights can be attained in a peaceful manner. “We can bring about a change for the better in a peaceful manner. Let us give peace a chance. In a peaceful environment, as a society, we can build fresh political narratives and set attainable goals to achieve. We should not follow the same goals and deceitful political narrative that has brought us nothing but tragedies and miseries only thus far.”
Explaining the agenda and ideas of the Apni Party, Syed Altaf Bukhari said, “We believe that a sustained peace will pave the way for everything that should matter to us. It is the people of Jammu and Kashmir who need a peaceful atmosphere for moving ahead. Peace will ensure prosperity and development of this land and it eventually would pave the way for political and economic empowerment to its people.”
“Our kids have been getting killed for the past 32 years, and yet we have achieved nothing. Can we afford to continue this bloodshed and the killing spree here?” he asked.
Referring to the traditional political parties, Apni Party President said, “These power-hungry political parties fought with each other to manage their presence in the power corridors, and now they have got united, again to get the power. They are least bothered about the future of the people, especially our young generation. The so-called leaders have built empires for themselves over the years, but the common people are still grappling to make ends meet.”
He cautioned, “Be aware of deceitful politics. Earlier, they would say that they will protect the Article 370 and 35A, now when these Articles are gone, they try to mislead you by saying that they will get these Articles back. I assure you that they have no authority or influence to get all that back that has been snatched from us on August 5, 2019. They are lying and trying to allure you only to attain power for themselves.”
